Laura Tillman is CT Mirror’s Human Services Reporter. She shares responsibility for covering housing, child protection, mental health and addiction, developmental disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Laura began her career in journalism at the Brownsville Herald in 2007, covering the U.S.–Mexico border, and worked as a statehouse reporter for the Associated Press in Mississippi. She was most recently a producer of the national security podcast “In the Room with Peter Bergen” and is the author of two nonfiction books: The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts (2016) and The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo Garcia (2023), which was just awarded the 2024 James Beard Award for literary writing. Her freelance work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. Laura holds a degree in International Studies from Vassar College and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Goucher College.

Shahrzad was a CT Mirror photojournalist from June 2023 to April 2026. She told visual stories about the impact of public policy on individuals and communities in Connecticut. She earned a Master of Science from Columbia Journalism School in 2023, after completing her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at American University. She is a Houston native with roots in France and Iran.

Erica covered economic development for CT Mirror from 2021 to 2024. She is now CT Mirror's state policy editor. Before moving to Connecticut to join the staff, Erica worked in Los Angeles for public radio’s Marketplace and, before that, for the Wall Street Journal's L.A. bureau. She grew up in Minneapolis, Minn., graduated from Haverford College and earned a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California.

Renata is the data reporter for CT Mirror. She recently graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in data journalism. For her undergraduate studies, she graduated cum laude from Pennsylvania State University with dual bachelor’s degrees in international politics and broadcast journalism, and minors in global security and Middle East studies. Renata has a background in data analysis and programming, with proficiency in Python, QGIS, and HTML, among other tools. She previously interned at the Malala Fund and has reported stories from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Brazil. She speaks four languages and is currently learning a fifth.

Andrew joined CT Mirror as an investigative reporter in July 2021. Since that time, he's written stories about a state lawmaker who stole $1.2 million in pandemic relief funds, the state Treasurer's failure to return millions of dollars in unclaimed money to Connecticut citizens and an absentee ballot scandal that resulted in a judge tossing out the results of Bridgeport's 2023 Democratic mayoral primary. Prior to moving to Connecticut, Andrew was a reporter at local newspapers in North Dakota, West Virginia and South Carolina. His work focuses primarily on uncovering government corruption but over the course of his career, he has also written stories about the environment, the country's ongoing opioid epidemic and state and local governments. Do you have a story tip? Reach Andrew at 843-592-9958